


Catty

by astudyinfic



Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux, Warrior's Cross - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux
Genre: Frenemies, M/M, Post-Canon, Ty and cats, Ty's cats are deadly, bookstore, supposedly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-09
Packaged: 2019-10-07 10:45:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17364539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/astudyinfic/pseuds/astudyinfic
Summary: One only broke into the home of two ex-FBI turned CIA-operatives if you had a death wish.  Or thought you could outsmart them.And no matter what they said, Sidewinder didn't have a death wish.  Which only left one person.





	Catty

A lone figure scaled the side of Brick and Mortar books.  Even in the light of a late spring afternoon, no one noticed him as he climbed the brick facade and slipping inside one of the uppermost rooms.  

Considering the store was a Company safe house, the fact that he got in undetected was both impressive and problematic. Though, if anyone knew CIA secrets, it was someone who had worked for them for far too long.  

Once inside, he made himself comfortable and settled in to wait.  The store didn’t close for another two hours. Unless someone tipped them off, he had time before they came home.  The two who ran the shop and helped baby agents along their way were two of the deadliest people he knew, but he was reasonably sure they wouldn’t kill him.  

At least, not for this.

* * *

 

With a half-hour until closing, the customers had slowed to a mere trickle.  A woman browsed in the home improvement section, while two teenagers sifted through their musical history book selection.  Zane sat idly at the counter, watching the customers with a mild disinterest before turning back to his own book. With no deliveries lately, the holidays past but no influx of summer readers yet either, things were slow at the shop.  Which suited him fine, on most days, but others he craved being back out in the field, just for something to do.

Keeping his husband busy, however, proved to be a challenge.  

But Ty had disappeared through the back almost an hour ago and while Zane felt fairly confident that nothing and no one had arrived, he knew he would need to go check after locking up for the night.  Ty alone and bored was a bad enough prospect. Ty tormenting baby CIA agents because he was bored was a recipe for disaster.

“Time to lock up, darlin’?” Ty asked, sidling up next to his husband, laughing in his ear when Zane jumped slightly.  

Zane glared over his shoulder.  “Seriously, Meow Mix. All these years and you still move as silently as when we first got together.  Make some noise next time.” His lips curled up slightly, more amused than anything. Ty remained the only person who could sneak up on him.  Which, in their line of work, was a good thing. “And we still have fifteen minutes before closing and you know it.”

“Yes, but the last customer just left without buying anything.  Even the cats know the day is done. They disappeared upstairs a few minutes ago.”  

Zane kept a close enough eye on the cats to make sure they didn’t get out of the store, but otherwise, they weren’t something he watched every minute.  Ty, however, loved his cats with his whole heart and often followed them around. Or they followed him around. Zane wasn’t sure which. Either way, wherever Ty was, the cats were sure to be close.  

Until the end of the day, when they would retire upstairs, ready to mew plaintively for their dinner the second the two men returned home after they finished closing the shop.  

If they were already upstairs, Jiminy and Cricket had decided that the day was over and it was time to get ready for dinner.  If he was being honest, Zane wasn’t interested in staying any longer. While he loved the shop, the slow days wore on him just like they did for Ty.  He hid it better, that was all. “I’ll get the front if you get the back,” he muttered. Zane didn’t move away, however, and pulled Ty close, kissing him softly.  “Is it really so bad working a full day?”

“No,” Ty said against his lips.  “But I like getting home afterward even more.  I don’t like to share you unless I have to.” He held Zane tighter, their lips brushing together but unable to kiss properly due to smiling too much.  “If you hurry and lock up, already, I can show you exactly why I want to get home.”

Zane couldn’t argue with that and gave Ty one last kiss before bolting for the front door, knowing his husband would be securing the back.  Considering the people and supplies that came through the back door of the shop, it took far longer to lock those doors so Zane was halfway up the stairs by the time Ty caught up with him.

Wrapping his arms around Zane’s waist, Ty spun him around and pressed him against the wall.  “Thought you could get the jump on me?” Ty purred in his ear, their chests tight together as he did.  “You aren’t going to be getting ahead of me, Lone Star.”

Zane laughed, his hands resting on Ty’s hips.  “Not my fault you take so long in the back.” Not that he really believed Ty was dawdling.  His husband was a thorough man, a trait that had saved them countless times in the past. Zane would never actually complain about it.

But mildly poke Ty to get a reaction?  Absolutely.

“Next time, I’ll leave the back open and go sleep in Boston for the night if you feel like taking your chances,” Ty growled, the sound going directly to Zane’s core.  He loved Ty’s passion and grit. Zane couldn’t imagine him any other way, and would never want him to change.

Ty kissed him passionately, Zane’s head thumping painfully against the wall as Ty kissed him.  Then his husband pushed off him and took off running up the steps. Sometimes Zane found it hard to believe Ty was closing in on fifty.  He still acted as young and spry as he did when they first met. “Fucker!” He ran after him. Ty’s laughter filtered down the stairs. But Zane didn’t get far, running into Ty’s back as they reached the top.  “Usually you don’t make this so easy on me,” he laughed, before realizing just how tense his husband was. Without needing any more encouragement, Zane reached for his gun, just as Ty did as well.

“Someone’s here,” Ty murmured, making his way silently into the loft.  If Ty said there was someone in their home, as unlikely as that was, Zane believed him without a second thought.  Ty wouldn’t joke about something like that.

What Zane didn’t know was how that would happen.  Who in their right mind would sneak into a CIA safe house?  How did they get past both Ty and Zane? Why would they even want to, particularly if they knew who they were?  A regular criminal would never have gotten past the sometimes obscene amounts of precautions Ty set up around their home.  So, it would be someone with a death wish, someone who didn’t care if they lived or died.

Or someone who thought they could outsmart the two of them.  

“Goddamn it.”  Zane had a clear idea who they would find in their home.  Five names came to mind immediately but only one of them would actually risk Zane or Ty killing them by breaking in without advanced warning.  Contrary to popular belief, Sidewinder did have a modicum of self-preservation. Not a lot but it was there.

Ty came to the same conclusion, it seemed, as he wasn’t as careful as he normally would be, stepping around the corner into their living room, gun in hand but not trained on anything in particular.  “Cross. What an unpleasant surprise. Lovely to see you. Get out.”

Sighing, Zane tucked his weapon into the back of his jeans.  “What in the hell are you doing here?” They hadn’t seen nor heard from him or Cameron since Miami having been declared killed in action. Zane rather thought they would never hear from either of them again.  Cross got what he wanted, a life free from the Company and had paid his debt to Ty and Zane. Being free from those burdens had come at a high cost and Zane believed that Cross would never truly forgive them.  

Maybe that was why he was there.  To pay them back for the loss of his best friend.  

His hand wrapped around the grip on his gun, not bringing it back out but keeping it close enough in case he needed to defend himself and his husband.  

“Can I not pay some old friends a visit?”  Julian’s casual tone made the hairs on Zane’s arms stand on end and Ty raised his gun slightly, obviously sensing the threat.  

Shaking his head, Ty glared.  “No, of course not. Because with you, there is always a catch.  Tell us what you need so we can say no and you can...” As his words trailed off to a horrified cry.  “What do you think you are doing?”

‘I believe I already explained it.  I am here to visit with some old friends.”  Even if Julian wasn’t smirking, neither Ty nor Zane would have believed him.  Too much history existed between them for them to think he was in any way sincere.  

Ty shook his head.  “I’m not talking to you, asshole.  I'm talking to them.”

Blinking, Zane looked around his husband, trying to see who he was talking to.  Because Julian worked alone. He never brought his lover into his work unless absolutely necessary.  And ever since Preston... Zane shook his head, not willing to dwell on the guilt he still felt over everything that happened in Miami.  “Doll, there’s no one else here.”

“Yes, there is.  Two traitors.”

Ty’s voice had turned hard and Zane looked around, trying to figure out what his husband was talking about.  As soon as his eyes returned to Julian, he saw it. He tried - he really did - but Zane couldn’t hold back the laugh.  “Meow Mix, I think you might be overreacting.” Releasing his gun, Zane stepped farther into the room, still on edge since Julian Cross was dangerous on the best of days, but right now, Zane could relax.  

Julian wouldn’t do anything with Jiminy and Cricket on his lap.  

He loved cats almost as much as Ty did. He would have to, being the owner of the two monsters he called Smith and Wesson.  

Which probably explained Ty’s meltdown.  He still hadn’t quite forgiven Julian for taking the cats back.  For whatever reason, Ty loved those angry balls of hell on paws.

“I can’t believe you two,” Ty ranted, hands flying around as he did like they always did when he got excited about something.  “You are highly trained killing machines. I’ve trained you myself. Find the threat, neutralize it. Then go back to sleeping. That right there?  That’s a threat! How do you explain cuddling with him instead of killing?”

Julian raised a brow, letting Ty continue to rant.  His fingers ran gently over Cricket’s fur and she purred loud enough for Zane to hear across the room.  It was hard for him to watch without laughing, considering how upset Ty really was. “Really, do you think your cats would actually attack me?  They are good kitties. How you ended up with them, I will never know.”

Ty scoffed and grunted, turning to look at Zane for support.  Zane could only give him a small smile before looking away, afraid how Ty would react if Zane laughed as he wanted.  “You’re all sleeping downstairs tonight!” Ty pointed from Zane to Cricket to Jiminy. Zane managed to restrain his laugh and the two cats blinked at him.  “My whole family betrayed me!”

Julian shook his head, obviously amused but hiding it far better than Zane.  “I cannot believe he is like this at home, as well. I thought perhaps it was only while on a mission.  I do not know how you live with him and not smother him in his sleep. You must have the patience of a saint to put up with it.”  

Knowing he would be in trouble if he agreed, even if it was true ( _so true_ ) Zane replied, “He more than makes up for it in other ways.”  Ty started to argue and Zane shook his head, trying to head off his husband’s spiral before it began.  “I love every part of you, doll. Including the _overly excited, my cats don’t love me enough and my husband thinks it’s hilarious_ part of you.”

“If this is how you grovel, it still needs work,” Ty grumbled.  

Zane smiled fondly, shaking his head.  “I’m not groveling yet. I’ll do that when we don’t have an audience.”  He watched in delight as Ty’s eyes darkened and Zane knew for a fact he would be welcomed to their bed that night.  

So much for Ty’s grand punishment.  

“That doesn’t help either of you, however.”  Ty turned back to his cats. Cricket drifted off to sleep, lulled to peaceful slumber by Julian’s fingers stroking her fur.  Jiminy cocked his head to the side and looked at Ty, similar to the way they watched young children in the store; confusion and slight concern.  “What good was SERE training you if you just curl up with the first killer to walk through the door?”

Cricket had a tendency to investigate the _packages_ that came through the back door, so Ty could almost cut her some slack.  She was sweet, and beautiful, and loving. But she had a terrible sense of who was safe and who was a threat.  

Jiminy didn’t trust anyone but Ty, which probably made this feel much more like a betrayal.  Zane felt a little bad for his husband.

A little.  

“Do you not think you are overreacting a touch?  They simply found a warm lap to sleep on. I hardly think it is worth this sort of fuss.”  Zane sighed and ran his hand through his hair. The words sounded innocuous enough, but Julian and Ty spoke a language all their own and Zane learned long ago to read between the lines.  And those words right there had him bracing for a fit of epic proportions.

Ty stalked forward and quickly scooped both cats into his arms, backing away to a reasonable distance and looking them over quickly to make sure they were safe and unharmed.  “We will be having refresher courses all week,” he muttered to the cats before setting them down and shooing them from the room. At least that would keep Ty busy and he would stop reorganizing the shelves to fit whatever mood he was in.  The cats’ training had yet to result in anything even remotely productive, other than keeping Ty’s mind occupied.

“I’m going to go give them their dinner.  I want you gone before I get back.” With that last warning, Ty turned on his heel and left the room.  Zane hoped it was a sign of trust, that Ty knew he wouldn’t let Cross get away with anything in their home.  It could also be his husband telling him this was his problem now and to clean it up. Zane knew which one he thought was more likely.  

They both waited until Ty stomped down the hall to the kitchen and the sad, hungry meows of the two cats could be heard.  Turning back to Julian, Zane looked him over from head to toe. He looked healthy and whole, something that couldn’t be said for any other time the two of them had met.  “Why are you here?” Zane asked. Considering how relaxed Julian appeared, Zane doubted he was there to cause trouble.

Julian’s lip curled up.  “I ordered a gift for Cameron for our anniversary.  I am in town to pick it up.”

“That explains why you are in Baltimore, not why you are in our house.”  Though Zane had a sinking suspicion he knew the reason for that as well.

With a casual shrug, Julian rose and made his way to the door.  “I had not upset Tyler in a while and felt it was a good time to do so.”  His eyes drifted over Zane and he nodded at whatever it was he saw there. “I am happy to see you are looking well, Garrett.”

“Same, Cross.”  Somewhere along the line, Zane started to think of Julian as something like a friend.  “Say hello to Cameron for us.”

“I will.  I would apologize for riling Ty up and leaving him for you to deal with but I suspect you will enjoy the after effects too much to accept an apology.”

Zane smiled, knowing exactly how Ty would work out his frustrations later and Zane looked forward to it immensely.  “No apologies necessary. It’s good to keep him on his toes. They don’t make CIA agents the way they used to. They’re hardly a challenge for either of us.”

“If you are ever interested in a cross-country road trip trying to avoid them all,” Julian started, his face stoic and hard, “don’t call us.”

Laughing long and loud at that, Zane nodded.  “Understood. Have a good trip home, Julian.”

“Thank you, Zane.  We will speak again soon.”  

He left with no more formalities and Zane was left to wonder what they would be speaking about.  It left him a little uneasy if he was perfectly honest.

“Is he gone?”  The bell downstairs rang softly and Zane nodded to Ty as he stepped back into the room.  “Good. What did he want other than to turn the kitties against us?”

As Zane took a moment to formulate an answer that wouldn't result in a tantrum, Ty groaned and rolled his eyes.  “He came to piss me off, didn’t he?”

“He came to piss you off,” Zane agreed.  He reached out and pulled Ty close, hand slipping into the back pocket of his husband’s jeans.  “If you still have some pent up frustration, the shop is closed, the cats are eating, and we are all alone.  I might be willing to help you burn it off.”

Ty kissed him firmly, clearly on board with the plan, and the two of them stumbled towards their bedroom, shedding clothes along the way, without breaking apart any more than necessary.  They flicked on the bedroom light and fell into bed with the ease of practiced lovers. And when they were both gasping for breath, bodies sweaty and spent, Zane considered that a visit from Julian Cross every now and then wasn’t a bad thing if this was the way he and Ty ended up after the fact.

* * *

 

Out on the street, a shadowy figure chuckled to himself as a light turned on in what he knew to be their bedroom.  The two of them were far too predictable, at least when it came to each other.

Julian wished he could fault them for that but all he felt was a pang of longing and he hurried down the street, anxious to get back to his own husband.

He’d stop by again soon, though.  Ty’s reactions were far too much fun to go without for very long.


End file.
